Dogwalker In Lady Gaga Shooting Describes 'A Very Close Call With Death'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A dogwalker who was shot and seriously wounded during the violent theft of two of singer Lady Gaga's French bulldogs last week in Hollywood made his first public statement Monday.
Ryan Fischer, 30, wrote on Instagram that he is continuing to recover "from a very close call with death" and described being grateful to have survived.
On the night of Feb 24, Fischer was walking Lady Gaga's three French bulldogs in the 1500 block of North Sierra Bonita Avenue, just off Sunset Boulevard, when a sedan pulled up alongside him, two suspects emerged and stole two of the bulldogs, Gustave and Koji.
During the chaos, as Fischer was trying to fight the men off, he was shot once in the chest. The incident was caught on surveillance video.
The third bulldog, Miss Asia, ran away, but was later found safe.
RELATED: Woman Returns Lady Gaga's Stolen French Bulldogs To Police
"While a car sped away and blood poured from my gunshot wound, an angel trotted over and laid next to me," Fischer wrote on Instagram. "My panicked screams calmed as I looked at her, even though it registered that the blood pooling around her tiny body was my own. I cradled Asia as best I could, thanked her for all the incredible adventures we'd been on together, apologized that I couldn't defend her brothers, and then resolved that I would still try to save them…and myself."
Lady Gaga, who is shooting a movie in Italy, offered a $500,000 reward for their safe return.
On Friday, two days after the attack, Gustave and Koji were discovered by a woman and turned into the Los Angeles Police Department's Olympic Community Police Station in the Pico-Union area.
RELATED: Search For Suspects Continues After Lady Gaga's Dogs Are Recovered Safely
Police did not confirm where the woman found the dogs, citing the ongoing criminal investigation. The two suspects remain at large.
According to the Associated Press, the woman who dropped off the dogs is not believed to have been associated with the attack.
Fischer is expected to make a full recovery, meanwhile.
"The gratitude for all the love I feel from around this planet is immense and intense," he wrote on Instagram. "I felt your healing support! Thank you. I am humbled and grateful that attention and focus from the police were enough to get Koji and Gustav back to safety, and I know they are committed to bringing these criminals and attempted murderers to justice. I am so appreciative of everything you continue to do."